Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday warned of a serious law and order problem in the old Naxalite and Khalistani belt of southern Punjab if the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal construction is completed without taking the ground realities into account.
He said an estimated 10 lakh acres of land in southern Punjab are expected to go dry as a result of SYL, the 6 lakh odd people of the region, which has a history of militancy and extremism, would be forced to resort to violence to feed their children. The Congress leader aid Supreme Court's directive on the SYL completion before going into the question of availability of water amounted to putting the cart before the horse.
Pointing to the huge infrastructural cost involved in the canal construction, which would all come to naught if there was no water found subsequently to share with the neighbouring states, Captain Amarinder urged the Apex court to take cognizance of the situation on the ground in terms of water availability and quantum in Punjab. It was imperative first to make an independent and fresh assessment to check if there was water available in Punjab, and how much, if any, could be spared for sharing with other states, said Captain Amarinder.
If the court, in its wisdom, later discovers that there is no water then the money invested in SYL construction would go down the drain, he pointed out, adding that the cash crunched state of Punjab could ill afford the same.
Captain Amarinder’s comments came even as tensions between Punjab and Haryana touch a high amid the Indian National Lok Dal’s attempts to force entry into Punjab to start digging for SYL.
Reacting to Abhay Chautala's threat not to allow any Punjab leader to enter Haryana, Captain Amarinder termed it totally irresponsible and a desperate bid to revive INLD following Thursday's flop show. No Indian citizen can be prevented from going to any part of the country, he added.